WASHINGTON, D.C. – Calling recent actions by Santa Barbara County regulators onerous and discriminatory, officials with Greka Oil and Gas Inc. on Friday said they considered laying off nearly half the company's workforce -- and, perhaps, legal action against the county.

Greka has seen several recent spills at its North County facilities, and is facing heavy fines from the Environmental Protection Agency over its cleanup efforts.

The company says stop-work orders issued by the county Fire Department amount to unfair and selective enforcement that affect 95 percent of its production. As a result, 100 people could be laid off.

"If you're shut down and you don't have work for people to do, then what do you?" Tony Knight, a spokesman for the company told the News-Press.

As for its claims of selective enforcement, Mr. Knight said that County Fire, through its comments, "minimized" a Jan. 23 spill of a cleaning solvent at a Popco Oil facility into Las Flores Creek and subsequently into the ocean.

Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, is among the growing numbers calling on Greka to do a better job. In a statement to the media on Friday, she summed up her anger with the company this way:

"I am appalled by Greka's failure to properly maintain its facilities located in our county," Mrs. Capps said. "Time after time, spill after spill, we have seen a consistent pattern of neglect and an unwillingness by Greka to take responsibility for its actions."

The Santa Barbara Democrat called the spills a serious threat to the health and safety of the public as well as the environment.

"I look forward to continuing working with EPA, as well as state and local officials, to ensure that the current spills are cleaned up as soon as possible and future spills are prevented," she said.

Any layoffs, Greka president Andrew deVegvar said, can be avoided if the company is allowed to do what it does.

"Certainly, we want to avoid disrupting these workers and their dependants during uncertain economic times," he said in a statement.

The company, Mr. deVegvar added, will cooperate with regulators and pursue efforts announced last week to improve its facilities.

As for precedent for possible legal action, Mr. Knight said Friday that Greka's legal team is looking at its options. Meanwhile, cleanup continues.

"There's nothing wrong with Greka," Bob Tull, incident commander at the Palmer Road facility outside Santa Maria and eight-year Greka employee, told the News-Press.

"We all do our best."

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